Software developers and integration and test teams are asked to deliver better products faster and with higher quality. But, how can this be achieved when:

• the hardware is not available or is difficult to access?
• specifications are changing and silicon is unstable?
• you have to set-up complex hardware-assisted tools and test benches for your device?
• the information you get for debug and analysis is incomplete?
• your hardware platform includes heterogeneous multicores with complex interconnect, memory hierarchy and multiple dependent software stacks?

Solution: CoWare Virtual Platform Technologies
With CoWare, IP, semiconductor and electronics companies use virtual hardware platforms to address the challenges associated with low level and hardware-dependent software development, application software development, and to perform system integration and test.

CoWare virtual hardware platforms are fast and scalable simulations of the system hardware, including the device hardware and the environment it evolves in.

Results: 30-50% Cycle Time Reduction
Using CoWare virtual platform technologies, companies are able to achieve 30% to 50% cycle time reduction while increasing the quality of their products. These results are obtained by:

• Removing the dependency on hardware availability: a virtual platform is available earlier and can be modeled in an evolutionary methodology
• Accelerating the edit-compile-debug cycle: a virtual platform provides full visibility and controllability of the entire platform including processor, buses, peripheral and the environment, and is deterministic.
• Removing the dependency on accessibility of the hardware: as a software package, the virtual platform is accessible--worldwide--in a matter of minutes and thousands of units will have the exact same deterministic behavior.
• Avoiding rework due to evolving specifications: CoWare Virtual Platform provides the architecture link. CoWare Virtual Platform can be created with the same technology used by hardware architects and development teams. As a result, as changes are made, they can be immediately provided to the software developers.

Integrated Solution for Creation, Distribution and Use
CoWare's software development solution includes tools, IP and services that enable the creation, packaging for distribution and use for software development of virtual platforms.

CoWare services expertise provides unique capabilities for the creation of the virtual platform (IP modeling and platform assembly) as well as expertise in the deployment of virtual platforms to large and distributed software development teams.